Wireless strategies may be deployed by business operations, including for example, warehousing facilities, distribution centers, retail stores, manufacturing facilities, etc., to improve the efficiency and accuracy of business operations. Wireless strategies may also be deployed by such business operations to avoid the effects of constantly increasing labor and logistics costs. In a typical wireless implementation, workers are linked to a customized software application executing on a corresponding computer system via a mobile wireless transceiver, such as a hand-held device. The wireless transceiver may be used as an interface to the customized software application to direct workers in their tasks, e.g., by instructing workers where and/or how to pick, pack, put away, move, stage, process or otherwise manipulate the items within the facility. The wireless transceiver may also be used in conjunction with a suitable input device to scan, sense or otherwise read tags, labels such as barcode labels or other identifiers to track the movement of designated items within the facility.
In order to move items about a facility, workers often utilize industrial vehicles, including for example, forklift trucks, hand and motor driven pallet trucks, and/or other materials handling vehicles. However, disruptions in the operation of such industrial vehicles impact the ability of the management system and corresponding wireless strategy to obtain peak operating efficiency. Moreover, conventional enterprise software, including the above-described customized software applications, do not account for, track, communicate with or otherwise provide insight into the availability, health, status or suitability of the industrial vehicles to perform the required work. Still further, conventional enterprise software, including corresponding management systems do not provide tools to manage access to, and operation of, the available industrial vehicles within the facility in an efficient and integrated manner.